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<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/201501011@N03/">casa6uga</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/201501011@N03/55282330810/" title="Under Troubled Skies"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55282330810_2758a6ec0e_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Under Troubled Skies" /></a></p> <p>Visitors pause beneath gathering skies at Melrose Abbey.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/201501011@N03/">casa6uga</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/201501011@N03/55282315205/" title="Melrose Abbey Under Gathering Skies"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55282315205_457ab91997_m.jpg" width="240" height="194" alt="Melrose Abbey Under Gathering Skies" /></a></p> <p>Ancient stonework at Melrose Abbey as dark clouds gather over the Borders.n</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/201501011@N03/">casa6uga</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/201501011@N03/55281867091/" title="Ruins Beneath a Northern Sky"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55281867091_7e36113ea4_m.jpg" width="240" height="188" alt="Ruins Beneath a Northern Sky" /></a></p> <p>The shattered grandeur of Melrose Abbey beneath heavy Borders skies. The broken vaulting, empty tracery and surviving arches still carry an extraordinary sense of scale and quiet resilience.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/peeblespair/">PeeblesPair</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peeblespair/55278193430/" title="Pause and Reset"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55278193430_91cab5274e_m.jpg" width="240" height="150" alt="Pause and Reset" /></a></p> <p>Lines of fencing and scattered pines guide the eye through rolling farmland that has changed little over generations. Tucked among the folds of the hills, the white farmhouse seems almost hidden within the vast landscape, dwarfed by open sky and long stretches of pasture. It is the kind of evening the Scottish Borders are known for, quiet, expansive, and rich with color just before dusk settles over the land.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/62445171@N00/">arjayempee</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/62445171@N00/55262635448/" title="Roxburgh Castle (15)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55262635448_df416b6b29_m.jpg" width="240" height="124" alt="Roxburgh Castle (15)" /></a></p> <p>(A long read today, but hopefully an interesting one!)<br /> <br /> The following comes from 'Tytler's History of Scotland', published 150 years ago. I always enjoy these Victorian books - what they didn't know, they made up! Be that as it may, the facts here are essentially true, even if the quoted words are not! :-<br /> <br /> <i>On an eminence of considerable extent, at the west end of a fertile plain, over against Kelso, and on a peninsula formed by the Tweed and the Teviot, was situated the old town of Roxburgh, once the fourth burgh of distinction in Scotland and here stood its celebrated Castle, the history of which, on account of the many struggles between the Scots and English for the possession of this fortress, is of more importance than perhaps any on the Scottish Borders. Its foundations are now almost razed, and there are few traces of those halls which witnessed royal births and nuptials where princes and nobles were wont to sit where fugitive, turbulent, or exiled ecclesiastics and nobles were often confined or found refuge. <br /> <br /> Only a few fragments of the wall which seems to have formed the exterior defence of the Castle of Roxburgh remain, and display vast strength from their thickness and the elevation on which it stood was surrounded solidity on the north and west sides by an outward rampart of earth. It had a deep moat, the remains of which are still visible, which was filled with water from a dam formed in an oblique direction across the Tweed, and which was again discharged into the river upon the east. Roxburgh was a royal residence, and its constable was an officer of great power and responsibility. Its situation on the Borders of the two kingdoms rendered the possession of it of the first importance to the contending parties in those wars which for centuries devastated both countries. It was generally the first place of attack when hostilities commenced, and consequently often changed masters.<br /> <br /> The occasion of the siege of the Castle of Roxburgh by James II is by no means clear. It is true it was in possession of the English ; but the King sent ambassadors to England in June 1460 to confirm a truce, and yet on the 3d of August he was slain. James was doubtless induced, by the situation of affairs in England, to attempt the recovery of those places within his kingdom which the English had long held ; and towards the end of July, with a numerous army, well furnished with cannon and warlike machinery, he proceeded to the siege of Roxburgh Castle. The town, which was incapable of defence, was taken, but the garrison refused to surrender, and it was invested. <br /> <br /> One of the pieces of artillery, brought by James II to this siege, was called the Lion, on account of its immense size. It was cast in Flanders by order of James I in 1430, and was the first cannon of any size brought to Scotland. It was made of brass, and contained an inscription in Latin intimating its name the Lion, and that of the King.<br /> <br /> The Earl of Ross had joined the King with a very considerable reinforcement of Western Highlanders, but James, instead of employing this force in the siege, sent most of them into England upon predatory incursions, retaining only the Earl and a few of his followers. Shortly after wards the Earl of Huntly arrived, and the King, desirous to make a display to this nobleman of the vast power of the artillery he had brought into the field, took him to witness the effects of a single discharge upon the walls of the Castle. The cannon of that age were rudely contrived, and consisted of iron bars girded with circles of metal. Incautiously approaching one of these pieces, it suddenly burst ; a splinter from it struck the King on the thigh, and otherwise severely wounded him, as also the Earl of Angus and some others who stood beside him. The death of James, from the great effusion of blood, almost immediately followed, though not before he had given strict orders that no intimation should be made of the misfortune which had befallen him, lest the army should be discouraged, and the siege abandoned.<br /> <br /> But it was impossible to conceal the death of the King, and the grief of the army and of the kingdom at the loss of a sovereign universally beloved, in the flower of his age, was aggravated by the circumstances attending it, and the prospect of a long minority, the eldest son of James, who succeeded him, being only in the seventh year of his age. The heroism of the Queen, Mary of Gueldres, however, roused the courage of the desponding Scottish army. As soon as she received intelligence of the King's death she immediately hastened to the camp, taking with her the infant sovereign, now James III., and presented him to the nobles. &quot;Lose not the time and labour,&quot; she exclaimed, &quot;which you have bestowed on this siege, neither let the loss of one man deprive you of all courage. I give you another king. Forward, therefore, my lords, and put an end to this honourable enterprise, revenging yourselves on your enemies, rather than lamenting at present the fate of your prince.&quot; With tears in her eyes, and a bursting heart, the Queen showed the infant sovereign to the soldiers, and conjured them by every domestic tie, by the memory of their deceased King, and by the fame of Scottish valour, to destroy this calamitous fortress. The effect of this address was what may be easily anticipated. The siege was rigorously pressed, and the fortress assaulted so fiercely that the garrison surrendered on the condition of being allowed to depart with their arms and baggage. To prevent it ever becoming a stronghold for the English, it was levelled with the ground. <br /> <br /> A holly tree is said to mark the spot where James II was killed on the north side of the river Tweed, and a little below Fleurs, the seat of the Duke of Roxburgh.</i><br /> <br /> I pretty much already knew all of that - except for the bit about the holly tree. Sure enough, when I went looking at old 19th century maps, there on the north side of the Tweed was a place marked &quot;Holly Tree - Planted on the spot where King James II was killed, August 3rd, 1460.&quot; Now these old maps don't have grid lines on them, but after hours or protracted study, I am convinced that the tree I have indicated on the photo above, is the tree in question.<br /> <br /> That the siege artillery was across the river from the castle, makes sense. It would be safe there from a sally from the castle, but I then got to wondering about whether it was too far away. The nearest point on the castle worth bombarding is the north-east gate, which, according to measurements taken using Google Earth, is 590 yards from the holly tree. Did medieval guns fire that far?<br /> <br /> The answer is yes but . . . !<br /> <br /> The massive siege bombards of the 15th century such as Mons Meg (these days living in retirement in Edinburgh Castle), could fire a 400lb stone ball over a mile. The ball would probably miss by as much as a mile at that range too! More important than the 'maximum range', was the 'effective range'. To have a good chance of hitting the target, the effective range of a cannon such as 'The Lion', was around 300 yards. Apart from accuracy, there was also another consideration when it came to range. The further you wanted the gun to fire, the more gunpowder you placed behind the missile, and the more gunpowder you used, the greater the chance of the gun blowing up! <br /> <br /> These big 15th century guns were made by arranging wrought iron bars to form a tube and then holding them in place with iron rings round the outside - in much the same way that wine barrels are made using wooden staves held together with iron hoops. It was the iron rings around the barrel that were most likely to blow off (as happened with Mons Meg when it was last fired in 1680), and perhaps that is exactly what happened here! Rather than move the gun closer, King Jim said 'put more powder in'! And the rest, as they say, was history!</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/62445171@N00/">arjayempee</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/62445171@N00/55262729304/" title="Roxburgh Castle (16)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55262729304_cc4728c8b8_m.jpg" width="240" height="75" alt="Roxburgh Castle (16)" /></a></p> <p>Following the 1460 siege in which King James II was killed, the castle remained in ruins for nearly a century. In 1547, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector (of his nephew King Edward VI, son of Henry VIII), during his invasion of Scotland camped on the plain between the ruins of Roxburgh Castle and Kelso - the site of the town of Old Roxburgh. Observing the strength and convenience of the castle's situation, he resolved to make the fortress tenable again. While his army moved on, a garrison of 300 soldiers and 200 pioneers, under Sir Ralph Bulmer, was left behind to start construction.<br /> <br /> The artillery fort that was constructed only occupied the central area of the old castle mound, in the area I have indicated on the photo. I fancy this would have made it vulnerable to a surprise attack from the various areas of dead ground below the fort.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/62445171@N00/">arjayempee</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/62445171@N00/55261029624/" title="Roxburgh Castle (9)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55261029624_8120c988bb_m.jpg" width="240" height="128" alt="Roxburgh Castle (9)" /></a></p> <p>The remaining curtain wall along this, the south-east side of the castle, date back to the 12th or 13th centuries. (The bits of wall further up the hill, beyond the dead tree, are 14th or 15th century - post War of Independence.) It still stands 15 feet high in places, and 6 feet thick. There are at least two postern gates in the surviving wall along this side, one of them (robbed of its best stone) is shown here. Both of these entrances are described as requiring iron gates in a survey made in 1416.<br /> <br /> The castle had two main entrances, one at either end, remnants of both of which remain. The main entrance to the castle from the south-west was between the two chunks of masonry visible on the far left of this photo, from where a roadway sloped up to a further gate and the interior of the castle. I assume there must have been an outer gateway as well, in or beside the massive outer rampart.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/62445171@N00/">arjayempee</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/62445171@N00/55261195940/" title="Roxburgh castle (12)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55261195940_c8753e97cc_m.jpg" width="240" height="187" alt="Roxburgh castle (12)" /></a></p> <p>The outer north-east gateway took the form of a barbican, of which only the south-east side remains. The entrance passage, in which I am standing, extended for 25 feet and stood about 10 feet high with walls about 8 feet in thickness. The stop for a door is still visible at the foot of the wall. Scars where stone has been robbed in front suggest that the barbican extended another 30 feet in front of this surviving fragment. Such is the steepness of the slope in front of the gate, that there must have been steps down would be the only practical method accessing the entrance at this end.<br /> <br /> Roxburgh Castle was affected by the first movements of Edward I against Scotland, and continued to figure prominently in most of the leading events throughout the Wars of the Succession. During the interregnum, the public writings and records had been transmitted from Edinburgh to Roxburgh, where the auditors appointed for Scottish affairs by Edward I. held their assemblies. In 1295 John Baliol consented that Roxburgh, with Berwick and Jedburgh, should be delivered to the Bishop of Carlisle, as a pledge of adherence to the interests of Edward. In September 1292 Edward himself resided at Roxburgh; and four years afterwards, in punishment of some resistance to his claims, he took formal military possession of the castle. In 1297 an unsuccessful attempt was made by the Scots to retake it; but on Shrove-Tuesday 1313, the castle was surprised and captured by Sir James Douglas, while the garrison were indulging in riot.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/62445171@N00/">arjayempee</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/62445171@N00/55260007601/" title="Roxburgh Castle (8)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55260007601_19ef63cf12_m.jpg" width="240" height="117" alt="Roxburgh Castle (8)" /></a></p> <p>The Eildon Hills on the horizon - known by the Romans as Trimontium - for obvious reasons.<br /> <br /> That David I, King if Scots, should have chosen to have his capital and build his great fortress of Roxburgh so close to the border with England, should not come as a surprise. Relations between the two countries were still relatively friendly in the 12th century and mostly remained so until the end of the 13th. David spent time in England after his exile there in 1093, where he was an important figure in the court of King Henry I, whose first wife Matilda, was David's sister. It is said that by the end of his time in England, David had become a 'fully Normanised prince'. William of Malmesbury wrote that it was in this period that David &quot;rubbed off all tarnish of Scottish barbarity through being polished by intercourse and friendship with us&quot;!!<br /> <br /> Roxburgh saw considerable royal patronage. King David I spent much time in the castle of Roxburgh, partly as his preferred residence, and partly as the ideal base for conducting hostilities in support of his niece Matilda against the 'usurper' King Stephen, during the civil war in England known as The Anarchy. William the Lyon, under the misfortunes of war, delivered up the castle of Roxburgh to Henry II of England in 1174, but received it back from Richard I, and he afterwards held his court here, and 'sent forth forces hence to quell insurrections among his subjects' as far north as the province of Moray. Alexander II resided much at Roxburgh; and was married here in 1239. Alexander III. was born at Roxburgh two years later, and afterwards, at two periods, was shut up in it by turbulences amongst his nobles; and here in 1255 he welcomed his father-in-law, Henry III of England.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/62445171@N00/">arjayempee</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/62445171@N00/55260372530/" title="Roxburgh Castle (7)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55260372530_1a0af3ca23_m.jpg" width="240" height="92" alt="Roxburgh Castle (7)" /></a></p> <p>Two miles up the Teviot from here, lies the village of Roxburgh. It would perhaps be more accurate to call it New Roxburgh, because the original village, now referred to as Old Roxburgh, stood on the headland between the two rivers, protected by the fortress. All sign of it above ground has long since disappeared, although a recent Time Team excavation found indications below ground. In this photo, its location was on the flat ground to the right of the castle, around the clump of dark trees (indicated on the photo).<br /> <br /> Old Roxburgh was no mere collection of peasant hovels! King David I, prior to being crowned in 1124, was Earl of Northumberland, and as such the town and the site of his future castle, belonged to him as an appanage of his earldom. In the first half of the 12th century, the town possessed an encincturing fortification of wall and ditch, and had three churches and schools, which David gave to the monks of Kelso Abbey. When he ascended the throne, it became, as a matter of course, a royal burgh - one of only four in Scotland - the others being Edinburgh, Berwick, and Stirling. Also within the town there was a convent of Franciscan monks and a 'Maison Dieu' or hospital, for the reception of pilgrims, and of the diseased and the indigent. The site is still known as the Friar's Haugh.<br /> <br /> Old Roxburgh was governed by a provost and bailies; it had a burgh or city seal; and it was the seat of a royal mint in the reigns of William the Lyon and James II. It also had, from very early times, a weekly market and an annual fair - the latter, known as the St James Fair, continues to be held to this day.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/131232392@N06/">calderwoodroy</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/131232392@N06/55256435666/" title="River Tweed looking upstream to Lowood Bridge, near Melrose"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55256435666_e59f8915cd_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="River Tweed looking upstream to Lowood Bridge, near Melrose" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/131232392@N06/">calderwoodroy</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/131232392@N06/55256653409/" title="Borders Buses 11502 on High Street, Melrose"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55256653409_c86b538e86_m.jpg" width="215" height="240" alt="Borders Buses 11502 on High Street, Melrose" /></a></p> <p>Seen on its way down the High Street in Melrose, is fleet number 11502 working a part route 67 from Kelso to Galashiels via St. Boswells, Newtown St. Boswells, Melrose, Borders General Hospital and Tweedbank.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/201501011@N03/">casa6uga</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/201501011@N03/55254906863/" title="Framed by the Ruins"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55254906863_074016d3e5_m.jpg" width="169" height="240" alt="Framed by the Ruins" /></a></p> <p>Looking through the towering arches and weathered stone of Jedburgh Abbey, where centuries of history still shape the light, lines, and silence of the ruin.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/88010770@N05/">newpeter</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/88010770@N05/55250386166/" title="River Teviot, Hawick"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55250386166_fa1fac20e3_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="River Teviot, Hawick" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/88010770@N05/">newpeter</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/88010770@N05/55250790905/" title="River Teviot, Hawick"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55250790905_b82be6fc5d_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="River Teviot, Hawick" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/maggiest/">Maggie Studholme</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/maggiest/55244736827/" title="Under the Bridge"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55244736827_d2002d962c_m.jpg" width="240" height="146" alt="Under the Bridge" /></a></p> <p>I've been feeling very stuck since I got home from Scotland - unable to get on with anything or move forward. People keep telling me it's post holiday blues - and maybe it is - but it needs to be over! So, after a concerted effort at decision-making - here's another one from the trip.<br /> <br /> This view was behind the van when I parked up by Loch Stroan. I got there at dusk and in the gloaming I was too scared to walk under the bridge. It took me two days to venture through - early in the morning, only to find it was not scary at all. <br /> <br /> This was taken from right across the loch, where the edges were quite boggy. I struggled to find a vantage point where all the lines were straight and level (and yes, I had to fiddle a bit with it afterwards), but worth the effort I think.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/redhand1873/">Redhand1872</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/redhand1873/55245016510/" title="Melrose Abbey"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55245016510_1c19320f1e_m.jpg" width="240" height="135" alt="Melrose Abbey" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/redhand1873/">Redhand1872</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/redhand1873/55244752753/" title="St Mary&#039;s Church"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55244752753_01df95d7bd_m.jpg" width="240" height="135" alt="St Mary&#039;s Church" /></a></p> <p>default</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/redhand1873/">Redhand1872</a> posted a video:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/redhand1873/55244849764/" title="St Mary&#039;s Church"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/55244849764_75952c4e33_m.jpg" width="240" height="135" alt="St Mary&#039;s Church" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/redhand1873/">Redhand1872</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/redhand1873/55244856519/" title="Melrose Abbey"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55244856519_7106091c4c_m.jpg" width="240" height="135" alt="Melrose Abbey" /></a></p>

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